


Ladybug, Ladybug

by CutToTheEndOfTheShow



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Gen, Konohagakure | Hidden Leaf Village, Missing-Nin, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:01:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28783848
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CutToTheEndOfTheShow/pseuds/CutToTheEndOfTheShow
Summary: Contrary to popular belief, ladybugs were not the fancy, useless, animals that many thought they were. The Aburame Clan had specifically bred ladybugs for a purpose, keeping pests out of their gardens. That, Shino understood. He understood many things, in fact. He understood medicine, he understood fighting, and he understood his teammates. He understood the way that Hinata would blush when she saw Naruto. The way she would become more quiet and timid whenever the louder, blonde boy appeared. He noticed the way that Kiba would be louder when Naruto appeared as well, shouting boisterously on a volume purposefully eclipsing anything Naruto could have said. The way that he was vying for attention. He understood the way Kiba would look at their female teammate in a soft, almost protective manner. He understood all of that, really. He also understood that a villiage that was willing to kill off an entire clan of shinobi was not one he wished to be a part of. He also knew that if he wished to save the world,  he would have to know Uchiha Sasuke. Or, at least, Aburame Shino thought as he fled from the Hidden Leaf, moonlight shining through the trees, and onto his overly pale skin, that was what he was telling himself.
Relationships: Hyuuga Hinata/Inuzuka Kiba
Comments: 7
Kudos: 17





	1. Chapter 1

Tsunade Senju shuffled with the papers on her desk, forcing herself not to punch the nearby wall, knowing that if she did, the entire tower might crash down. It had only been a month, and already, another Genin had defected from the village. Aburame Shino. What was even more worrying was that Aburame Shino did not have a history of ill will towards Konoha, like Uchiha did. He was described as quiet, intelligent, and more importantly, loyal. How was she supposed to trust anyone if someone previously thought of as the ideal shinobi was the very one to defect? How could Konoha trust each other knowing that one of their own kin had left? Tsuande rubbed the bridge of her nose in anger and tiredness. Spots danced in her blackened vision. She had been up all night examining what could have led to Aburame's departure and had come up with nothing. She needed a drink. Well, it wasn't as if this day could get any worse, now could it.

" Sakura." As soon as she said the name, a pink head of hair poked through the door, green eyes bright and eager.

" Yes, Miss Tsunade?"

" Please hand over the sake."

Sakura froze, startled, as if she had been interrupted in the middle of something. Tsunade dreaded it already, but motioned for her to continue. Sakura cleared her throat in what seemed to be embarrasment before speaking. " Oh! Well, um, we ran out of it, Miss Tsunade. Uh, sorry." She looked particularily sheepish. It took Tsunade a moment to realize that her apprentice was not joking, and another moment to stop herself from cursing at the top of her lungs. Ah, of course. And just when she thought it couldn't get worse. Tsunade let out a hoarse, bitter, laugh.

" Damnit, what happened?" She froze, remembering that troublesome drinking spree she had last weekend. No wonder. Curse her past self for not thinking of her future. Tsunade scowled and shook her head as Sakura looked prepared to answer, emerald eyes taut and confused. "Ah, fuck, no, don't answer that." She snapped. Tsunade shook her head, focusing back onto the pile of paperwork on her desk, all labeled with the name Aburame Shino. How she alreadly hated him. Defecting the village, ruining her sake, and messing up all of her paperwork. She growled. "Well, fetch me a drink. get onto it then."

The Day Before:

Aburame Shino was not known as a loud person. He was known to be quiet, invisible, and ruthless. He was also known to to creepy and unresponsive. He found that quite rude, although he didn't say it. He just liked the silence, that was all. He always did pride himself on being an ideal shinobi. But then again, an ideal shinobi would not be fleeing their village in the dead of night, now would they? There was no ANBU chasing him, he could tell. Nor was there a recapture mission sent out to get him. It made sense. Uchiha Sasuke had left a month prior, and even now, the amount of reconstruction required to rebuild the village was only starting to patch up. No one would be looking for him, not tonight. But still... the lack of ANBU chasing him. It was disturbing, but it made some sense. Besides, it wasn't as if he was a high-level security risk. One of the reason he had managed to escape undocumented and with little effort. It ways also, he thought wryly, the reason they chose him as the one to send back...

Shino shook his head, forcing the images out of his mind. Images of a blood stained battlefield with a heaving blonde in the midst of it, once proud, cheerful blue eyes diminished to dull grey. Shino remembered how he was the first to find him, by chance, how Naruto had been searching for Sasuke, that he had intended to find him first, not that Shino could blame him. Sasuke was probably far more suited to these scenerios and far more powerful than he could ever be. But Naruto did not find Sasuke. He did not find Uchiha because Uchiha was already dead, left as a hollow shell as Madara used his body as a puppet. And that was why Shino had been the one. It was an odd twist of fate, he mused, although he was hardly one to believe in it. Spending far too much time for his liking around a certain Hyuuga certainly ruined any feeling of destiny he had. But maybe, it was fate. Shino remembered how Naruto had told him, told him to go to Ino, that he was their last hope, and how he burned a seal onto Shino's forehead, muttered unknown words before handing him a scroll. Ino had proceeded to send him back using some variant of her Yamananka Jutsu, and Shino remembered her words as he faded into darkness. Good luck. Good Luck. The words had echoed in his head the entire time he had been here, and honestly, he doubted he could keep his end of the bargain.

These were the thoughts that occupied Shino's mind as he skillfully leapt his way through the trees, feet barely skimming the bark, eyes fixed on the darkness ahead. The Land of Rice Paddies was just ahead, and Otogakure just beyond. He stopped at the edge of the forest, hunched stealthily into the shadows. From here, the Land of Rice Paddies began. From here, he would officially be a Traitor to Konoha. He would be entering enemy territory on a mission. A mission that would have been better suited to virtually anyone else. A mission that was highly likely to fail. Not that he cared of course, because why would he? Aburame Shino leapt off the tree, soaring for a gleeful moment before feeling his feet lightly land on the marshy ground. He felt a slight satisfactory at the lack of noise, that once would've been broken by the crushing of weeds beneath his foot, now utterly quiet.

He made his way to the gates at around dawn, the recent light of the newly rising sun, shedding a faint warmth onto his chilled skin. He felt a burst of chakra behind him but did not move. Shino forced his instincts to stay still. A kunai splicing through the air beside his ear, but he knew it would not hit him. How crude, Shino thought to himself. If only it was a mere decade into the future, he would've chided the male for not aiming directly at his head. No sense in giving an enemy a warning shot, after all. He forced himself to turn around slowly, forcing himself to act in the uncertain, scared Genin they thought he was. Shino examined the male. White hair, glasses, odd smirk, purple clothes. Sound headband, victorious posture. Interesting. He didn't expect to find Kabuto here. Shino found it rather easy to mask his recognition of Orochimaru's protegee. Kabuto sounded rather proud when he spoke.

" And what brought you here, Shino Aburame? Defection? My, my, didn't think you'd be the one. How thrilling." He drawled out the last word mockingly. Shino raised an eyebrow, not that Kabuto could see it behind his sunglasses. Of course Kabuto would know his name. The person had cards on him, and everyone else in his village. Shino felt the hair on his neck bristle slightly. He did not enjoy the idea of having people spying on him, even if they were going to be his future allies.

" My name is Shino Aburame. I have defected from the Hidden Leaf Villiage. Why? Because I wish to join the Village of Sound."


	2. Chapter 2

If there was something Yuuhi Kurenai hated, it was being underestimated. She hated being viewed as weaker than any of her classmen. She hated how there would be people in the streets muttering rumors about how she was just another one of Asuma's whores, or how she used her connections to get a Genin Team, how she wasn't actually capable. It was one of the many, many reasons why she chose to take on a Genin Team. To prove that yes, she was intelligent. She was trustworthy. She could make a team of the finest shinobi possible. Kurenai had shrugged all of them off, and all of the rumors stopped. Or not. Because the rumors started again, and maybe Kurenai wasn't capable. How could she not have noticed one of her students leaving the village? How could she have caused it to happen? It wasn't as if Shino acted as if anything was off... right? Truth be told, Kurenai didn't know. She had simply let Shino stay at the back, glowering in his own silence as she went to tend to shy, hard working Hinata and boisterous Kiba. If she had paid attention, would Shino still have left? Kurenai gritted her teeth as she put her eyes back on Kiba, who was awfullly silent today. Every so often, he would glance at an empty spot beside him and his lips would part, as if expecting someone to be there. Kurenai did as well.

Orochimaru grinned as he looked down at Shino from the throne, snake-like eyes glinting green to yellow in the faint sunlight. His pale, grey, narrow face was obscured by the shadows and long strands of hair. Shino felt the kikaichus inhabiting his system twitch uncontrollably. Something was wrong, leave, leave leave, they told him. Shino smothered them under, because of course it was wrong, but Orochimaru, for all of his crimes and faults, was someone they would have to have as an ally in the future. Shino stepped up, feeling the rustling as Kabuto pinned the cold, cruel metal blade against his neck, just sharp and deep enough to draw blood. Shino glanced up through dark lenses at the Sannin, who had an awfully bemused look on his face. A look Shino attributed to death. He stifled the feeling of fear.

" Lord Orochimaru. I wish to join Village of Sound. Why? Because I wish to become stronger than my counterparts. And I believe I can do that here." Orochimaru gave a shrill chuckle as he leaned foreward, eyes narrowing sadistically.

" And pray tell, why should I believe you? How do I know if you have come on your own will or...." Orochimaru immediantly swept down slashing a sword at Shino's abdomen. Shino barely had time to move. Years of training was the only reason he escaped, grasping the blade behind his neck and wrenching it out of Kabuto's hands just as he began to cut through tendon, jumping back, kikaichu's whirling in frenzy. He felt the blade move past his stomach, tearing flesh off in a singular, swift movement. Shino's muscles immediantly stiffened and he sent chakra bursting to his feet, sticking him to the ceiling, his beetles swarming around him in anticipation. He put a hand next to the wound. Only flesh deep. Good, he supposed, but this was a Sannin. Shino whirled the kikaichu around him, in a thick dome to block any imcoming attacks. Orochimaru simply stood on the ground, with an impressed look on his face. Shino refrained from growling. Of course Orochimaru was simply toying with him. If he was serious, Shino would've been dead before his brain could process it. Orochimaru's voice bounced off the walls. "... If Konoha sent you. I will say however, you have far faster reflexes than I imagined. Most would have fallen to my Kusanigi before they had a chance to move. And yet, you not only managed to escape, you defended yourself."

Shino let himself speak at that, making sure that his voice was kept as a monotone volume. " Thank you, Lord Orochimaru. I request to be your most humble servant." Orochimaru seemed to consider that for a moment, examining the blade on his hands. 

" Perhaps. You, however, dear Shino, will need some adjustments if you wish to be at top. How do I know if you are not simply here to kidnap poor Sasuke?" Ah, yes, adjustments. Modifications to his body. Shino shook his head in earnest. He knew that taking Sasuke back to the village would accomplish nothing. Sasuke had to stay here to train, and forcing him back would simply make him less likely to work with Naruto when the time came.

" I have no wish to bring Sasuke back to the village, nor supply intelligence to Konoha." He purposefully let out a burst of chakra around him, watching as Orochimaru glanced up, eyes shifting to a clear blue, his tongue poking through his lips, a true snake. The Sannin seemed to be contemplating him before he spoke.

" You are not lying. Interesting." Orochimaru seemed to be considering something before he spoke once more. " However, I already do have my hands full with one apprentice, so I believe that I can trust Kabuto for you. That does not mean that you and Sasuke will never meet again, however. I am pleasantly sure that the two of you will be pleasant training partners for each other. No shame in some competition around here, now is it?" Shino nodded. He did not expect to be trained personally by the Snake himself and nor did he particularily want to. Kabuto was not a horrible teacher, if by what he knew was true.

" You are too kind, Lord Orochimaru." Orochimaru did not seem to hear him, instead continuing to rattle on.

" You will, however, need some adjustments-" Curse seals. Shino gritted his teeth. He was not a fan of curse seals on anyone. He wasn't a fan of any seals anyhow. Naruto's seal had felt as if someone had searedd a hot metal poker into his brain, and that was supposed to be a light, harmless seal. If that was harmless, how much could a Curse seal, one meant to cause pain, actually be. 

" Unfortunately," Shino interrupted. " My Kikaichu do not enjoy my body to be tampered with. If they feel as if something is manipulating me, they will drain it out. I am afraid that not much can be done." Orochimaru nodded, taking it into contemplation. 

" I see." He concluded, although not thoroughly convinced. " I will have to run some tests on you..." Shino tensed. " But not today. Kabuto, show your future student to his quarters. Young Shino here needs some rest after running about all night to get here." Shino nodded gratiously as he proceeded to follow Kabuto as the elder led him to his quarters. Shino glanced about, tracking down every corner they took. Left, right, third fork. It was rather difficult, seeing how all of the quarters seemed the same. Granite walls with bars. He saw medical rooms and rooms with scrolls and even the decaying smell of corpses from behind a particularily suscpicious door. Shino glanced at his future teacher, who did not seem very pleased. He had appeared to have expected something else to happen. No wonder. Kabuto stopped behind a room with a thick, wooden wall and a metal knob. Kabuto opened it with a creak, showing a mediocre room, complete with a closet of identical clothing, a large bed with suprisingly comfortable sheets, and a storage bin for weaponry. The window appeared to be made of glass, but infused with the type of material that sucked out chakra rapidly from those that would touch it. Just like his kikaichu. Shino nodded as Kabuto explained everything through gritted teeth.

" Well. I'll be leaving now," Kabuto muttered, as he left the room. Shino nodded graciously, listening to the clatter of footsteps against the floor until it had faded away into silence. Shino stayed there, relishing the absolute quiet of his room before he started to change into the clothes in the closet. There were some black armor in there, as well as a few masks in animal form, as well as white sheets that left his chest open complete with purple skirts. Shino wrinkled his nose. No. He did not go back in time to dress up as a stripper. Instead, he continued searching through the closet, finding more armor and disturbingly showy clothing before settling on a puffy white shirt complete with a disturbingly short, white, jacket that barely came to his chest. A pale grey tunic covered his legs up to the knees, rimmed with gold snakes. Apparently, there was truly nothing fitting in here, but these would have to do.

Shino crawled into the blankets, forcing himself to sleep. He rarely sleeped nowadays, due to the war, but when he did, he dreamt of three things.

People he hated. Danzo, for driving Sasuke to the dark side. For training child soldiers to fight for him. For taking his brother away from him.

People he loved. His teammates. Gentle, calm, Hinata, even loud, obnoxious Kiba. He saw how Kiba would laugh louder with Hinata around, how he would sneak glances at her through training. There were some benefits to being invisible after all. He saw Torune. He saw the time that Torune and him had been growing tomatoes in the backyard and how Torune would follow Shino's every movement with wide, adoring eyes, as Shino talked about the best beetles to guard them. He remembered how Torune would search among the grass for his favorite beetles to guard the tomatoes. How he would dub each one by name. His favorite was ladybugs. 

People he didn't know. His grandparents that passed away when he was too young. His aunt that died by an enemy kunai. His sister that died before she could even live. Torune, his brother, who loved ladybugs and looked up to him with wide eyes, and named all of his beetles by name... ( this one is Kanata, and that's Koruba, and that's Kadenosi, )... taken away before his time. Torune, the ROOT, who learned only how to kill and used his beetles as weapons and forgot all about the adoring eyes he once shed upon his brother.

Unsuprisingly, Torune shows up awfully a lot of times in his dreams.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Curse Seal hit me half way through writing this. I was planning on having Shino actually getting one, but I thought- wait a minute...  
> Also! TORUNE IS CANON ( or at least in the anime... ) and he is Shino's adopted brother~


	3. Chapter 3

Nara Shikamaru should not have been bothered. He was not affected. Uchiha Sasuke was not his teammate. Aburame Shino was not his friend. He should not have cared, because he did not know either of them. And yet, it felt as if he was connected to them. Connected in a way that would only make sense if one could already have that feeling. It was like a spider's string attatched to the back of him mind, clinging stubbornly to his brain. It usually went unnoticed, just hanging there, dangling at nothingness. Usually, it was able to ignore. But it wasn't. It was tugging, pulling, yanking at him, tearing at his brain and biting. When you thought about it like that, it was no wonder why someone would scratch. Why would Aburame Shino defect a month after Uchiha Sasuke's departure? If he wished to leave, why wait a month to do it? There was something up, and for once, Nara Shikamaru refused to sleep through it.

" NO!" Kabuto hissed, swatting Shino's hand away from a bottle of liquid. " I said _Nitswick,_ not _Nilsviok_ , can't you read?" Shino withdrew his hand into his pocket, turning to Kabuto, a slight scowl on his face.

"No. Why? Because your writing is too uncouth to determine one potion from the other." Kabuto's eyes widened, as if he was actually offended at Shino's words. He wasn't. Shino felt an odd source of pride that he managed to say that to Kabuto without retribution. He knew that if Orochimaru hadn't explicitly told him to not harm his new protegee, he would've been luckly to get a whack to his head. 

Shino shifted through the potions, picking out the Nilsviok Potion from the shelf above. Working with Kabuto was... suprisingly boring. Well, it wasn't boring per say. He had already learned quite a few things, and already on his first day working with Kabuto. Some things he would have much preferred not knowing. Shino didn't think that even he needed to know that one of the main ingrediants in healing potions was toad dung. Escpecially since he himself had drank a fair amount of those in the past. But Kabuto, for all of his faults ( and he had plenty of them ), was a great teacher. Although it had only been 5 hours since they had started his training, Shino was slowly becoming more efficiant in poisons, healing, various Jutsus, summonings, and the dissection of body parts, primarily human. Kabuto had even offered to see what summoning Shino would like. Not that Shino was particularily looking forward to slicing open his hand every time he needed a giant animal's help. 

Kabuto glared at him. " Honestly," he said, " It's as if you never even listen. Do you even have any ambitions in life other than messing everything up?" Shino nodded. 

" Of course I do. I plan on finding a giant, unknown beetle and tame it, using it as my own personal summon." Kabuto did not speak, instead he simply stared at Shino for a moment and turned away, before saying, " Just go pound the Darthswen." He then muttered something that sounded like an exasperated 'Aburame.' Shino ignored it. He knew that people found it odd how he would rather go search for a summon rather than simply learning one that already existed. But Shino didn't really want the power ( although that was a major factor ), he wanted the adventure. The thrill of finding a new species. He wanted to know that he did something out of his own work, rather than relying on someone else to do it for him. It was odd how no one seemed to understand that.

Shino handed the bottle of blue liquid over to the goggle-clad male, who carefully put the vial on the long tubes, carefully testing them under a microscope. The two of them were trying to find a way to make a more gradual acid, one that would have no effect for the first few days, but end up enacting to full effect later on. Shino thought it was a good idea. That way, when the person died, the actual culprit would be long gone, and investigators would be searching for all the wrong people that the victim had been interacting with. So far, they had gotten that relatively well worked out, so their latest problem was finding a way to make it look like a normal acid. Nilsviok ( and so did Nitswick, but Nitswick apparently also had a ginger smell ) did have a neutralizing effect, but it was important to only add the perfect amount.

The two of them didn't ask each other a lot of questions, and when they did, it was usually Kabuto scolding him, followed by Shino defending himself. Other times though, Kabuto would ask actual conversations.

" You ever had experience on Medicine?"

Shino was tempted to answer yes, but then again, Kabuto almost definately knew more than he did. " No. Why? I trained mostly as a ninja. Not a Medic-Nin." Kabuto huffed, a tsk-ing sound escaping his lips. A small smile shone on his face as he set the potion aside. Shino wondered if he had figured out how to make the acid. It was rather interesting to see someone make a new poison after only one day, but Kabuto was a genius, so Shino could give him some slack.

" I've always wondered. Why do you feel the need to explain everything?" Shino stopped in the middle of pounding the chunking wooded blocks into fine dust.

" Why? I've always found," he explained, dryly, " That some people never seem to get intelligent conversation until it is laid out for them." Kabuto gave out an annoyed chuff.

" You know, if you wanted to say that you didn't want to answer, you could have just said it." Shino shrugged. Privately, he was quite thankful that Kabuto was talking to him. He didn't like thinking about how he was planning on saving the world, but he knew that it had something to do with Sasuke. Unfortunately, he was not Naruto, and thus could not just Talk-no- Jutsu him out of it. It also wasn't in his best interest to think about all the ways he could fail. Speaking of Sasuke...

Shino piped up, carefully inserting the fine powder into a vial and handing it over to Kabuto. " Orochimaru said that Sasuke and I were supposed to be training partners." He asked no questions, and Kabuto understood instantly, carefully shuffling the vial of dust into a line of other potions. Shino felt slightly light headed at the various, somewhat toxic fumes floating around the room.

" Next week, " Kabuto promised, " But before then, I'll have to teach you more. If you don't you're going to have your rear handed to you. And I don't want Orochimaru-sama thinking that I'm a bad teacher." Shino nodded. It made sense that Kabuto was not going to only teach him medicine and poisons, but also more advanced jutsus. He was pleased at being able to learn more, as well as wary about the trials he would be going through. Unlike Kurenai, Kabuto did not seem to be the type to be comforting and encouraging, and let him do it on his own terms. Kabuto seemed to be more likely to teach him how to do it, and them proceed to attack him over and over again until he got the hang of it. One of these seemed a lot more preferable than the latter.

" What do you plan on teaching me?"

" Oh, you know. The usual. Get you a proper blade, go through swordfighting. Not on ground of course. That's way too easy. We'll be doing it on water. You seem to have gotton chakra control on hand, so we'll be focusing on building stamina, endurance, and chakra pools. " He paused. " What elements have you gotton under hand?" he questioned. Shino replied almost instantly.

" Earth, Water." Kabuto seemed to be noting that down in his head.

" Good. We'll be focusing on Fire and Air. Better start with your weaknesses rather than strengths, right?"

Shino, who never did get proper swordfighting lessons, didn't like swimming, wasn't a fan of exhausting himself, and never bothered to learn any Fire Jutsus, disagreed. This was not going to be easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone remember that scene in Episode 1 when Shikamaru was fangirling over Sasuke? Because I do.


	4. Chapter 4

Kiba found it ironic, how he had claimed that Shikamaru would never be a Shinobi if he refused to fight his friend. And yet, here he was, a Chuunin though Kiba stayed a good rank lower than he was. But Shino had predicted that, didn't he? Shino. Inuzuka Kiba did not understand why his teammate left. He did not understand what caused Aburame Shino to leave him and Hinata and Kurenai and his entire village behind. Was it because of him? Was it because Shino had simply gotten tired of his constant arguing? That was an interesting thought, but something told him that was not the case. Over the course of the week, Inuzuka Kiba would find himself racking his brain for every conversation he had with his teammate. When? When was the time that Shino had started to change? When he wanted to leave the village? And why didn't Kiba notice? Why didn't he notice when his team, his pack started breaking apart? He grimaced as his mother's voice rang through his head. Your team is your pack, Kiba, protect it. And he did. He did, he did, he did. They were supposed to be pack. They were supposed to be family. So why did it break apart? Why didn't Shino say anything? Kiba felt his fingers curl and he wondered if this was what Naruto felt as Sasuke left, and he felt angry at himself for telling him to forget about him, that he didn't matter, because how do you ever forget about your family?

Aburame Shino wondered what on _Earth_ did he do to deserve such eternal torment. His muscles burned from endless hours of training, without rest nor food.... well, alright. He did get one meal in the morning. But rice, fish, and vegetables with apple juice ( possibly drugged, but Shino wasn't going to just not _drink )_ did not quite count as a full meal, especially when he was used to the rich sausages and ramen and sushis back in Konoha. No matter what, it was becoming increasingly clear to him that such a meager breakfast was not ideal for sustaining a lifestyle in which he had to train ten hours a day ( 6:00AM - 4:00PM ). Not to mention that at least three full hours of that time was used getting dunked into the lake, whether it be loosing his footing while dealing with Kabuto's swordfighting skills, getting too concentrated on not being cut up by the enemy blade to notice a ray of water randomly slamming into his side ( he couldn't even use his _kikaichu_ to detect it _)_ , or just trying to notice _both,_ and end up sinking due to chakra exhaustion from spending too much of it searching for and thus dodging Suiton, sending it to his feet to stay afloat, and keeping his eyes focused on Kabuto knowing that one misstep and he would start drowning.

Naturally, Aburame Shino quickly grew a quick and rapid distaste for water, as he sat on the shore on one of Kabuto's rare breaks, folding his drenched clothes, sitting on the banks, and forcing the water out of his uniform. He was cold, shivering, tired, and he was aching on every part of his body. His kikaichu, meanwhile, were taking a stay in his wet clothes, which was good, because he if they stayed on his body, he might look just a _tad_ too unnerving. Naturally, of course, this was when he had to meet Uchiha Sasuke at the worst time.

" Aburame, what are you doing over here?" Came a voice, slightly deeper than when it was in Konoha, yet more lighter than when Shino had last heard it. He turned his head, seeing Sasuke in his signature white clothing, opened in the middle showing far, _far_ too much skin for Shino's liking. The lack of any decent clothing was one of the reasons why he kept wearing the clothes he left Konoha in, despite them being drenched, dirty, and rather uncomfortable. Shino looked at Sasuke. His face was sharp and angular, eyes dark and narrowed, hair swept back like an arrowhead.

" I came here to train, Uchiha, just like you have." Shino did his best to speak calmly, or as calmly as anyone could caught naked, trying to dry their clothing on the edge of a lake. This was not the way Shino wanted to meet his target. Sasuke did not seem very convinced. Instead, he turned on his Sharingan, dark black eyes shifting to red with black swirls, idly reminding Shino of the shell of a ladybug. Oddly cute for a trained killer.

" Did Naruto send you to take me back?" He asked accusingly. Shino shook his head. No one _sent_ him to take Sasuke back. That was just his assumption of what Naruto expected him to do when he sent him back in time as his last breath. Besides, Sasuke needed to learn Hawk Mode, gain the support of Team Taka, and kill Itachi at the very least. Oh, sure, maybe Itachi was innocent, but without Itachi's death Shino knew that Sasuke would not receive the Mangekyou or the Eternal Mangekyou. And that special eye power was going to be very, very important later on. He just had to avoid Sasuke from falling into Akatsuki _after_ Obito's revelation.

 _"_ No one sent me. I merely came here to get stronger, just like you." Shino remembered something. " And I apologize for not helping you with the fight with the Ichibi." Sasuke looked slightly stunned at the mention of the One-Tailed.

" That's fine, I forgot about it. You look awfully thin Have you not been getting enough food?" This Sasuke seemed far less emotionless and more conversational ( and suprisingly more _caring )_ , but perhaps it was just because he had not spent as much time with Orochimaru yet. One did not become emotionless just two months with the Snake Sannin. Shino almost bit back with a _You too,_ before he reallized just how in shape Sasuke was, complete with a set of lean, pale muscles, sharply crafted abdomen already starting to make a faint outline showing from the open shirt. Shino felt slightly humiliated that he hadn't had any yet. Perhaps the real reason Sasuke wore that shirt openly was to show off how well-off he was. But then again, perhaps that was to be expected. Shino figured that Orochimaru's chosen body would be treated better than the tag-along.

" Too much training coupled by lack of meals does that. Rice and fish do not make for well meals to last an entire day." Sasuke looked quite suprised.

" That's a shame. Really." Feeling that this awkward conversation was about to end, Shino started talking more, searching for a topic.

" Why did you come here?" Sasuke looked slightly suprised and a bit more suspicious.

" To gain strength. I will kill off that Man, and bring vengeance to my clan." Sasuke's face twisted into a scowl, eyes spinning, as if imagining the battle in his head. He paused, as if waiting for Shino to disagree. Shino did not. He understood, to be honest. He understood why Sasuke would want to kill him. It wasn't healthy by any means, but it was understandable. And he was willing to encourage him. Sasuke seemed slightly frustrated.

" You won't disagree? You won't say I'm doing something wrong?" He challenged. Shino shook his head.

"It's understandable, and I am willing to help." This time, Sasuke really looked shocked. Shino guessed that no one had ever understood Sasuke's need to do something like that before. Shino didn't either, and he wasn't planning to. One family member lost was enough, and he was not willing to experience any more. But he figured, if the same thing happened to him, how would he react? Would he seek out vengeance like Sasuke did? Maybe, maybe not. Everyone dealt with trauma in their own way. Sasuke's way just happened to be revenge.

" You're willing to _help?"_ Sasuke, understandably, seemed incredulous, but his composure returned in a second. Following an awkward silence in which there was only the dripping of water, and Shino wondering if he should start a new conversation, Sasuke's voice returned.

" Well. Fine, then. As long as you don't get in the way, I guess two hands are better than one." Interesting. Shino didn't know it would be that easy for Sasuke to have him tag along. Perhaps some of Kakashi's teachings did pass through. Perhaps this woudn't be so hard after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kiba and Shikamaru have now started recruiting.... Also, this is referring to that scene when Choji and Shikamaru were supposed to be fighting each other in the Academy. They refused, Kiba started taunting them, saying they could never be shinobi if they couldn't fight, and Shino ended up correcting him, predicting that Shikamaru would be a Chuunin long before Kiba. And he was right! Roughly three years before, in fact! And Shino is a manipulative, cunning little shit. No way is he going to let Itachi live if it means that Sasuke misses out on a vital ability for the War! And Sasuke seems a bit OOC, but remember, he's only been here for two months, and Shino is vastly easier to talk to and more understanding than Naruto, even if he can't match Sasuke in power.


	5. Chapter 5

Hyuuga Hinata supposed that it made sense. It was poetry, as her sister would have said. A mirror. It was fate, her cousin would've said. Destiny. She thought that it was only parallel. She should have expected Shino to leave when Sasuke left. She should have expected Kiba to break up over it, in the same way that Naruto did. It was only parallel. Shino was Sasuke, in all of their brooding glory. The geniuses who were too talented to stay, the ones with powers unfitting for the rest of them. The ones that went out to search for something more. Kiba was Naruto, in his boisterous demeanor, and light, beautiful humor, and forever optimism, and she? She was Sakura. The ones deemed as useless. The ones deemed unworthy of their more powerful teammates. The ones that trained and trained and tried their hardest and yet, it seemed as if they would never reach the standards set by their betters. But they tried, didn't they? They would be better. And Hinata would be better than Sakura because she was not going to sit back and let Kiba and Shikamaru find Shino for her. She was going with them. She would bring Shino back. They would show their superiors. They would prove that they were worth it. It should have made sense. That did not make it hurt any less.

Shino moved his fingers in quick sucession, cursing the numb tiredness instilled by hours of training. He felt chakra coils that were barely used strain and contract to produce energy the proper chakra amount. 

"Wind Style: Air Strike!" Although he could barely see it, he felt a narrow, sharp whooshing sound as the air around contracted sharply, striking the ground, sending dust particles floating in the air. When the dust cleared, Shino could see dozens of miniature craters in the ground. Interesting, but certainly not dangerous to a trained Shinobi. Let alone life-threatening. He put his hand up ( Kabuto forced him to only use one, and it wasn't that difficult, seeing as he had already roughly learned it from the future ), and began to try again, only to be interrupted by a voice.

" You're good." Shino looked up at the carefully concealed Uchiha in the trees, completely hidden in the shadows. Shino was slightly suprised. It had only been three days since the meeting by the lake. Shino had not expected to see him so soon.

" You as well. I could not sense you in the trees." Sasuke looked somewhat pleased, if the glint in his eyes was anything to go by.

" Wind Jutsu?" He asked. Shino nodded, and Sasuke continued, an amused glint in his eye that Shino thought was previously impossible.

" Yes, I personally had trouble with it in the beginning. Orochimaru taught me how to do it though." Privately, Shino was angry that his sensai didn't teach him anything personally.... " Wind is actually different from all of the other Elements in some interesting ways. For Earth, it's heavy, you use your stomach to generate chakra. That makes the Jutsu more general. Wide-spread. But Wind's different. It's lighter so you generate it through your mind, and you have to focus. It's sharp. Narrow. Concentrated." 

Shino nodded, taking the advice to mind. He would have to try that later. For now, he was not going to waste time. A conversation was important to building up a relationship, after all. " And Fire?" he asked, knowing that Fire was what Sasuke specialized in. At this, Sasuke appeared to perk up. Or he was re-adjusting himself on the tree branch. Probably the latter.

" Fire is generated in the chest, mostly around the lungs. It's similar to Wind, but there's less concentration, and more...spark. Hotter. For Wind, you can't really feel anything when concentrating, which is what makes it so difficult. For fire, it's easier because you can feel it burning in you, just not hurting. When it comes out, it's similar to how needles move. Wind is also focused, but more like how a hammer is focused. Earth is just grounded. It's everywhere. When you release Earth, you release it all at once." Shino noted that he explicitly avoided talking about Water.

" What about Water?" Sasuke froze for the briefest of minutes before he continued.

" I didn't actually study that," Sasuke admitted, eyes growing dark. Shino immediantly sought to reassure him. It was only barely over two months and he was sure that Sasuke had made progress. He would learn Water Jutsus later in the three years span that Naruto was missing. He was sure of it. Besides, he couldn't stop talking now! They were already having two full conversations! Progress!

" I didn't either. Kabuto instructed me to study Air. I'm more profound to using Earth. He told me that I ought to focus on my least developed skillset." Sasuke raised an eyebrow. It looked like he was actively working to do that motion.

" Interesting. Orochimaru said the exact opposite to me. He told me that I should hone my existing skills instead of working on one less experienced with." Shino nodded, although he mildly realized that there was no way that Sasuke, no matter what mood he was in, or how un-tainted he was by Orochimaru's experiments, would purposely try to seek him out. But he would ask that question later. 

" Orochimaru seems to be a far fairer teacher than Kabuto is." 

Sasuke snorted, " I wouldn't think so, Kabuto's not really the type to make you run patrol around the village all night, flaring chakra like a living beacon," and Shino felt excitement boil up. Uchiha Sasuke was actually actively involving himself in the conversation. This was good.

" Orochimaru does not seem to be the type to purposely drown you in a lake." 

" You're exaggerating." Shino bit back a childish 'Am NOT,' and resorted to shrugging his shoulders.

" Speaking of," Sasuke suddenly said, seriously, " Orochimaru wants you back. You inspired some people." Shino tensed. What? Inspired? "What?" "Someone defected from Konohagakure the night before. Kabuto said that they were injured badly." Shino wasn't sure he was hearing properly. He wasn't sure this happened before. He knew that his departure changed things, but to this level...

" Who?" 

Uchiha Sasuke smirked, lips stretched from eye to eye, and it thoroughly frightened Shino. 

" Come see,"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Expect more underdeveloped characters to show up... and another person defecting. Except this time, it will actually be because they want to get stronger!


	6. IN PROGRESS

Ino Yamanaka knew that Shikamaru's missions had a habit of failing, for both him and his teammates. But Ino Yamanaka accepted the instant her teammate brought up the oppurtunity. Maybe it was because she wanted to help, or maybe it was because she felt weak and wanted to prove something. But somehow, the fight with Sakura had made her realize three things.

1\. She was weak. And useless. No wonder her teammate didn't let her on his retrieval mission because who would? So she needed to get stronger.

2\. She was fighting with Sakura for all the wrong reasons. They were friends. They shouldn't be fighting over who got Sasuke. That was stupid, escpecially since said shinobi had just defected. ( Sasuke was still her's though ) 

3\. She needed to expand her arsenal. Mind Transfer was not going to work against a moving opponent.

So, she, Shikamaru, Hinata, and Kiba petitioned for a second retrieval mission. Bring back Aburame Shino. After Tenten's defection ( along with the kidnapping of Kazamatsuri Moeji ), Tsunade was quick to agree.

" You don't know either?" Shino half-questioned half demanded. Sasuke's face had returned to its usual emotionless, slack expression as they stood outside. As if he was purposely doing so in anticipation for someone to come. Probably Orochimaru. There was quiet muttering from behind the door before footsteps made their way towards them. Shino looked up as the door opened, showing an insignificant Sound-Nin standing by the doorway. Shino ignored him and paced quickly to where Orochimaru and Kabuto were talking, a bundled shape next to them Orochimaru instantly turned his head and grinned. For a moment, Shino nearly had a heart attack. Was that a dead child in Orochimaru's arms? On closer inspection, it was actually unconscious. Shino didn't remember who that was. 

" Why, Sasuke-kun. How delightful, you brought Shino-kun with you." He chuckled. " The two of you made quite the impression on your fellow shinobi, you know." Shino nodded respectfully, then quickly walked to the bundle of blankets. No way. 

"Tenten?" 

The bundle looked up, and Shino froze as he saw black, tangled hair and dark shadowed eyes, with pale, fading pink scars across her face. Her eyes were cold and angry and resentful, far different from the kind eyes he once knew. What had happened? Was she like this the entire time? Why? Kabuto cut in. "Come now, Tenten-chan. Don't you want to tell us something?" Tenten nodded.

" I hate Konoha," she growled. Shino froze. Okay, what. Tenten continued. " I hate how my sensei doesn't pay a single cent for anyone's well being besides my taijutsu-only teammate. I hate how no one listened to me when I asked to be moved somewhere else. I hate how I had to learn everything by myself and be nice to everyone even when I keep getting beat up over it!" She shook her head. 

" I want to destroy Konoha," she growled. Beside Shino, Sasuke looked mildly suprised. He too did not expect this. Shino didn't either. Sweet Asura, Tenten was turning into Sasuke four years too early. Orochimaru, on the other hand, was ecstatic.

" Mind saying why you decided to kidnap an Academy Student, Ten-chan?" Tenten smirked victoriously, savagry glinting in her eyes.

" Hostage. They're sending a team after me. Shikamaru, Hinata, Kiba, Ino. They'll get Shino if they can. Uchiha would be even better." Only four. They sent six after Sasuke. 

" Interesting. And what else can you offer us, Ten-chan?" Shino froze. Traitor though this Tenten may be, he did not want to see a fellow Konoha 12 ( Now 9, technically ) die. Tenten held her head up, proudly.

" Despite an urge to destroy the village that wronged me? I am also a weapon's master and seals expert. If that is unsatisfactory, I am willing to do anything in order to improve myself. I will get stronger. All Konoha has done is make me weak. And this," she nudged the unconcsious child, " I believe is a Mokuton user." Kabuto gave a slight gasp, Shino's eyes widened from behind glasses, and Sasuke looked like a tomato with his sharingan spinning wildly and face flushed from trying to control his anger. Orochimaru seemed unfazed, as if he heard this before. He probably did.

" And pray tell, why would you think that?" Tenten shrugged.

" She was growing plants all by herself. Say what you will, sunflowers don't pop up from the ground in less than a minute. Run some tests if you want. I don't care, I just need her alive in case." Kabuto cleared his throat.

" As interesting as this is, we cannot simply just keep adding shinobi-" He stopped talking at Orochimaru's considering look.

" No." The Snake Sannin agreed. " We cannot just agree. But you will be able to be upgraded as a loyal member of Otogakure. Kabuto, take our new guest to the Labratory. She should get to know her new friends beforehand though." Orochimaru left, leaving Sasuke, Shino, and a shell-shocked Kabuto in a room with Tenten.

" Thank you." Tenten suddenly said, looking directly at Shino and Sasuke. " Without you two, I could never have developed the courage to leave that shithole village in the first place." Sasuke didn't say anything for a while, as if his mind was still processing what had just been directed to him.

" No problem." He said blandly and somewhat confused. He glanced cautiously at Shino as if to say 'What just happened?' Shino had to agree

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep, It's Tenten ( Lady 10/10 Herself ). I honestly felt like she was wasted in the beginning. I liked having her as a Yandere character dissatisfied with how she keeps on being neglected in Gai's Team. I'm sure she got over it originally, but with Shino leaving, she immediately got inspired to leave as well, and embrace her anger. As some of you may know, Moeji was recently confirmed to have Mokuton. I thought this was interesting. My theory is that Mokuton is a rare genetic mutation only once every few generations. The twist? Most of the time, it occurs only in civilians. That's my theory at least. And no, Moeji will not be able to surpass Hashirama. At best, she can use it to hide herself in the forest.

**Author's Note:**

> I am starting a new Fic, so I have a question for you all. Which one would you like? ( Please Answer in the Chat ):
> 
> A. Itachi leaves more Uchiha alive, but they're all blind/can't walk so that Danzo can't get their eyes ( Sasuke is the only one that still has Sharingan and can be a ninja. Whether he wants to be is up to you. )
> 
> B. Sasuke annoys Orochimaru enough so that Orochimaru assigns him a team of disabled genin and a transalator for him to teach. Sasuke, not wanting to fail, promptly makes it his life's goal to train these children so that they can help him take down Itachi and basically be a "Fuck You!' to Orochimaru's face
> 
> C. Sasuke, with the help of Hanabi and Ino, starts dating a civilian to get Sakura off his back. Everyone else reacts accordingly as they scramble to fix up their plans. Hanabi is infinately amused at her own genius.
> 
> As you can see, I am obsessed with Uchiha stories. Sue me.


End file.
